mdh
Sr. Member
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But, as to the actual question: I am ambivalent. I used to be pro- 'Royal Canadian Navy' but after looking at the history of anglophilia and nationalism, perhaps the nationalists deserve this tidbit. Then I can safely stuff a handkerchief up my cuff and say, 'Canadahr.'
I'm glad someone noted the political aspect of this debate. The term "royal" was associated with the anglophone majority (the naval debates mentioned above took place during an eruption of neo-imperialist sentiment in English Canada preceding the Boer War and leading up to 1914) - and the military was considered very much an anglo-dominated institution by Quebec nationalists (especially when seen against the history of the Conscription Crisis in both the First and Second wars). Ex-Dragoon and Aesop081 make the finer point that going back to the past is not an option (and I'm someone who grew up in an RCAF family) - and for all the sturm and drang about unification we ought to look on its positive benefits - we actually have the potential for inter-arms cooperation that was probably unthinkable in the old military system - certainly the mobility for individual members has been improved so that tankers can become sailors and vice versa - a situation that would been practically unheard of in the past. We need to make the current system work better and continue to look to the future - if there's too much BS (as ex-dragoon suggests) for the ORs, then it's something we need to eliminate by instituting far reaching and dramatic reforms.
cheers, mdh